BlackBerry Seeks to Reassure Customers With Newspaper Ads

BlackBerry Ltd. (BB) is taking out full-page ads in newspapers worldwide in a bid to convince carriers, consumers and partners that they shouldn’t abandon the struggling smartphone maker.

“These are no doubt challenging times for us and we don’t underestimate the situation or ignore the challenges,” the Waterloo, Ontario-based company says in the ads, which take the form of an open letter. “We are making the difficult changes necessary to strengthen BlackBerry.”

The ads are an attempt to communicate directly with customers, without intermediaries or distortion, said Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben. BlackBerry wants to assure buyers that they can choose one of its smartphones with confidence, knowing that the company will stick around.

“The level of noise around the company is very high,” Boulben said yesterday in an interview. The ads will appear today in 30 publications in nine countries, including the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. BlackBerry also is sending the letter to customers and partners.